The European Fisheries Control Agency organizes a workshop on control of the bluefin tuna with EU and non EU countries

The European Fisheries Control Agency has organised a workshop on monitoring and control of Eastern bluefin tuna fishery in the ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna) on the 25-26 March 2014 in Vigo, Spain, gathering representatives from both EU countries in the Mediterranean as well as other ICCAT contracting parties such as Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey. During the Annual ICCAT Meeting in Cape Town in November 2013, it was announced that the European Union would host a technical workshop on control measures in the bluefin tuna fishery, which has been finally implemented by the EFCA. This was the second workshop organized and hosted by EFCA related to the control and monitoring of the Eastern bluefin tuna fishery.

The workshop has focused on specific measures of the Recovery Plan for bluefin tuna on procedures both at sea and in farms. Namely, it addressed the issue of transfer and caging operations both at sea and at farms, and in particular the use of stereoscopical cameras or alternative systems to refine the number and weight of the fish.

The main elements discussed are summarized as follows:

Control at sea: transfer operations:

Full implementation of the ICCAT International Inspection scheme to ensure a level playing field for all the fishermen involved in the bluefin tuna fishery;

Usefulness of stereoscopical cameras tested by the EU;

Presentation of several procedures linked to the treatment and recording of dead fish in purse seiner fishery, the treatment of video and video records, “control transfers” and investigations and release operations;

Interest of the workshop participants for the EU’s internal procedures.

Caging operations:

The importance of stereoscopical video cameras

Relevance of the uniform implementation of these systems and the need to progress in common standards and procedures

Maintenance of the effort to ensure ICCAT conversation factors and length weight algorithms are updated to complement the development of control operations and ensure the accuracy of data.

Cooperation between Contracting Parties:

EU presentation of the concept of establishment of at least a bilateral inspection team on a voluntary basis.

The EU noted the utility of these tools which could also serve as means to explore joint operations and share control tools such as videos and stereoscopical cameras, in accordance with ICCAT confidential and security provisions.